Piano action



(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. A. H. HASTINGS.

PIANO ACTION.

No. 457,714. Patented Aug. 11,1891.

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' v(K'o Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. H. HASTINGS. PIANO ACTION.

Patented Aug. 11, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AZARIAH HORA'CE HASTINGS, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.

PIANO-ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 457,714, dated August11, 1891.

Application filed July 23, 1890.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AZARIAH HORACE HAST- INGS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPiano-Actions, of which the following is a specification. p

This invention relates to certain improvements in piano-forte actions,and more especially to actions for upright pianos, which combine asnearly as possible the quality and eitect of a grand-piano action.

The invention comprises certain details of construction of the action,which will be particularly pointed out and claimed in the claims formingpart of this specification, and therefore need not now be more fully setforth.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the severalfigures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a sideelevation with some parts in crosssectiou, and Figs. 2 and 3, 4 and 5, 6and 7, and 8 and 9 represent four diiferent forms of damper, in sideandtront views, respectively.

The action-rail a is provided with a rounded head a and a fiat shouldera to receive a hammer-flange b, and this hammer-flange is provided witha groove 17, compleniental in shape to the bead a of the action-rail.The hammer-flange is secured to the action-rail by means of a screw 0,passed through the said flange in line with its groove and with the beadof the action-rail; and I prefer to interpose between the head ofthescrew c and the hammer-flange a washer or piece of flexible material0 and a metal washer c and I prefer to countersink the washers c and 0into the hammer-flange. By constructing the action-rail with the beadand shoulder and the hammer-flange with the complemental groove I amenabled to set the hammer-flange down upon the bead of the action-railwith a firm bearing, reduce its thickness, and thereby reduce theliability of the flange to get loose by shrinking. The shoulder a isprovided with an elastic cushion a and this cushion and the elasticwasher orcushion c prevents noise- The countel-sinking of the screw 0into the hammer- Serial No. 359,664- (No model.)

flange also reduces the liability of changing in those parts. Thejack-flange d may be similarly applied to the action-rail.

The damper-lever c is pivoted to the hammer-flange and has anextension-wire c, to which is secured the damper-block 6 Thisdamper-wire e is bent in order to secure the proper regulating. Thisdamper-wire e may be connected with the damper-block in any suitablemanner; butI prefer to make in the said dam per-block a longitudinalhole or passage or else a longitudinal groove, as shown, respectively,in Figs. 1 to 4 and Figs. 5 to 9. There the block is provided with ahole or passage for the extension-wire, a screw 6 is let into a screwhole made at right angles to the wire hole with its head countersunk inthe damper-block, so that the under flat side of said head will beardirectly upon the extension-wire, firmlyiu the damper-block, and sosecure the parts together. \Vhere a groove is employed, the screw (2will be passed into the damper-block at right angles to the said groovewith the head of the said screw hearing against the wire. Figs. 6 and'7, a washer or metal plate 6 may be interposed between the screw-headand the wire to unite them.

The form of damper shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is the one usually employed inconnection with the overstrung section of a piano and contains that formof my invention in which the extension-wire lies in a groove in thedamper-block and is held therein bya direct contact of the screw-headtherewith. By my construction of extension-wire and the screwheadapplied directly thereto and pressing firmly upon it there is no woodintervening between the extension-wire and screw-head to shrink orswell, and the strain is pulling the wood together instead of strainingit apart, as in other constructions.

The damper-levers are provided with a damper stop-rail f, running thelength of the action and secured to the action-rail by means of wires f.The proper adjustment of this stop-rail may be secured by driving thesaid wires more or less into the action-rail. It the wires should bedriven too far into the actionrail, they maybe projected by inserting apunch into the action-rail from the Wire-open- Moreover, as shown inings in the front of such rail. This damper stop-rail checks the travelof the damper-levers beyond the required distance, and enables me tomake solid pinned centers in both the damper-levers and hammer-buttsinstead of having to make plate centers, as have been employed beforeand which are always getting noisy and working out in dry rooms.Moreover, the stop-rail greatly facilitates the removal of parts andrenders access to them for regulation or repair very easy without thenecessity for detachment. In this connection, also, it will be observedby the use of the hammer-flange screws access to the hammer-rail forregulating, &c., is rendered very ready.

Instead of attaching a cushion to each jack and one to each bumper orattaching a separate rail, which requires extra regulating andcomplication for checking the overtra el of the jack, I employ a cushiong on the regulating-rail h, the said cushion being of suitable thicknessto leave the regulating-rail in its proper position and at the same timeto afford a proper stop for the jacks, and I make this cushion extendthe full length of the rail, and may be in one piece. By thisconstruction the cushion cannot come off and needs no regulating.Moreover, the cushions may be in one piece instead of two to each note,making one cushion instead of the one hundred and seventy-eight separatecushions heretofore required.

The regulating-rail h is provided with a regulating-screw 't'.

Parts shown in the drawings but not herein particularly specified may beof usual construction.

What I claim is 1. In a piano-forte action, the action-rail providedwith a bead curvilinear and preferably semicircular in cross-section,having on one side a fiat surface or shoulder, combined with ahammer-flange having a groove complemental in shape to the bead of theactionrail and fitted thereto, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a piano-forte action, the action-rail provided with aheadcurvilinear and preferably semicircular in cross-section, having on oneside a flat surface or shoulder, combined with a hammer-flange having agroove complemental in shape to the bead of the actionrail and fittedthereto, and cushions interposed between the said shoulder on the railand flange and their connecting mediums, substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. In a piano-forte action, a damper-lever and a damper-block, combinedwith an extension-wire inserted in the block and secured therein bymeans of a screw, the head of which binds the said wire in the block byimpinging directly upon said wires, substantially as shown anddescribed.

4. In a piano-forte action,the combination, with the action-rail, of adamper-lever stoprail arranged in the rear of said action-rail and adjustably secured thereto, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a piano-forte action, a damper-lever and a damper-block, combinedwith an extension-wire inserted in a groove in the block and securedtherein by means of a flat metal plate or washer screwed to the saidblock, substantially as described.

Sign-ed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, this 2d day of June,A. D. 1890.

AZARIAII HORACE HASTINGS.

Witnesses:

THORNE S. WALLING, EDWARD R. KNOWLES.

